Gregory resigns from alma mater SMU

After three seasons at SMU, Josh Gregory resigned Friday as head men's coach.

Gregory guided the Mustangs to an NCAA Championship appearance this spring for the first time since 2005. SMU lost in the quarterfinal match to eventual champion Alabama, giving the Mustangs their second-best national finish in program history. Gregory, a 1997 SMU graduate, had returned to Dallas in summer 2011 with a contract that reportedly was near the top of college golf's pay scale, at about $200,000 annually for five years.

Assistant coach Jason Enloe will fill the vacancy, the school announced.

“Today is the saddest day in my professional career," Gregory said. "I resigned from my alma mater, SMU. I am so proud of what we accomplished in these three years. These kids believed in me and my vision for SMU golf, and I can't thank them enough."

Before returning to SMU, Gregory guided Augusta State to back-to-back national championships, in 2010 and '11. He was Golfweek's 2010 coach of the year. Gregory spent nine years at Augusta State, now known as Georgia Regents University, as the head men’s golf coach/director of golf.

“I have a deep passion for coaching and most importantly love for all of my current, past, and future players," he said. "The messages I've received from them today mean far more than the two national championships I was fortunate enough to win. I coach for my players – always have, always will. I learned this from coach Richard Sykes (at North Carolina State, where Gregory was an assistant coach in 2000-02), who taught me how to treat kids. I know I have done things the right way throughout my career and I have run my programs during my career to the best of my ability. I wish the SMU men's golf program the best. I look forward to coaching again very soon and having the opportunity to do what I love to do.”

In a statement, SMU athletic director Rick Hart said he accepted Gregory's resignation, without elaborating. Brad Sutton, SMU's senior associate athletic director for public relations and marketing, responded to a Golfweek inquiry via email: "Our statements are all we're going to have on this."

Hart expressed confidence in Enloe, who played golf at SMU with Gregory before a 14-year professional career that included two victories on what is now the Web.com Tour.

"Jason has contributed greatly to our success the past three years, and we are confident in his ability to guide, encourage and support our student-athletes during this time of transition," Hart said. "We expect our men's golf program to continue its growth under Jason's leadership."

SMU, which finished the season at No. 26 in the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings, won the inaugural American Athletic Conference Championship. The Mustangs return one of college golf's top players, junior Bryson Dechambeau, who tied for ninth at the NCAA Championship and finished the season No. 11 in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings.

South Carolina picked up its fifth win of the season Tuesday at the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate to set a program record for most wins in a season, while Matt NeSmith grabbed the individual title in a playoff.

Texas A&M's Greg Yates medals at Valspar Collegiate

It looks as if the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings will feature a new No. 1 team this week. Florida State won its third consecutive tournament Tuesday when the Seminoles took home the Valspar Collegiate Invitational title.